The present invention generally relates to the field of power converters, and more particularly to dual AC/DC input-to-DC output power converters.
As the use of mobile electronic products continues to increase, such as PC notebooks, PDAs, cellular telephones, MP3 players and the like, the need for low cost, compact power supplies and solutions to power and recharge these products also continues to increase. Most manufacturers of mobile products typically provide plug-in power adapters along with these mobile products to help provide the power supply needs of their customers.
Today""s power adapters are typically AC-to-DC, or DC-to-DC power converters which are configured to convert an AC voltage to a DC voltage, or step-up or step-down the DC voltage input delivered to the mobile device. With AC-to-DC adapters, for example, users can power most mobile devices by simply plugging the adapter into a standard AC wall outlet commonly found in most homes and offices. Similarly, when only DC input power is available, such as in an automobile or airplane, users can still power their mobile devices by simply using a standard, off-the-shelf DC-to-DC adapter, such as with a cigarette lighter connector. Normally, both adapters are designed and tailored to provide a regulated DC output voltage, which voltage typically ranges from between 5 VDC to 30 VDC depending on the power requirements of mobile device being powered.
Although these power adapters conveniently provide direct power and recharging capabilities, users are often required to carry separate adapters to provide power to each individual mobile device. This often means that users have to carry multiple adapters for each device: one for an AC input power source, and another for a DC input power source. Moreover, users with multiple devices are typically required to carry multiple adapters to power all the multiple devices, thereby increasing the amount of bulk a user is required to carry, which is also tedious.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a power converter and system that resolves the system power management problems associated with carrying all of the different power supply components necessary to power a wide variety of mobile and portable devices having different power requirements. Moreover, there is a need for a power converter and system that has the ability of simultaneously providing power to multiple mobile devices having varying power requirements, regardless of whether the available input voltage to the converter is AC or DC.
The present invention achieves technical advantages as a programmable peripheral power hub (PPH) supplying multiple programmable DC voltages adapted to power a plurality of portable devices, each having their own DC voltage and power requirement. The PPH resolves the power management problems of providing power to multiple mobile devices each having different power requirements, including different input voltage requirements.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the PPH receives a DC input voltage, and provides a predetermined DC output voltage to each of a plurality of output ports. A power cord with an associated buck circuit may be selectively coupled to one of these output ports to provide a programmable DC voltage to an associated mobile device. Different power cords/buck circuits are utilized to provide the required power requirements of the portable device.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the PPH includes a plurality of programmable buck circuits, one associated with each output port. Each buck circuit provides a programmable DC voltage via the associated output port to meet the power requirements of an associated remote mobile device. Selectively interchangeable keys are utilized to establish the output voltage, such as a resistor.